AARP HAL Gift Cards

[isosika]

I know that this has been discussed before, and I have done a search but to no avail.  I've spent several hours today looking for answers and would like your experiences as well.

 

AARP currently sells HAL gift cards at an 8% savings.  A $500 card costs $460.  I talked with HAL this morning and was advised that these are HAL cards offered by AARP and not AARP cards.  I was advised by HAL that there is no limit as to the number of cards used and they can also be used for onboard credit,  I was also told that it was AARP that was running a special on these cards, not HAL.  AARP limits purchases of $500 cards to 5 per month.

 

To pay off the bulk of my March 2025 cruise, and take full advantage of the savings, I would need to purchase 5 $500 cards per month for 5 months (25 cards total).  This would result in a $1000 savings for us.

 

Today I have spoken with my TA, AARP and HAL.  It appears this will work.  Or does it?

 

Has anyone tried this (paying monthly with cards)?

I have read about nightmares with getting cards in a timely manner through AARP.  Is this an ongoing issue?

Has anyone encountered roadblocks either through AARP or HAL?

Anything that I should be cautious of?

Reasons for NOT doing this?

 

Thanks for your help.  I've never used gift cards before and this is only our 2nd HAL cruise (28 other cruises).

 

 

 

 

[richwmn]

I have paid monthly with gift cards for more than you are talking about without problems. I use a TA and send her a spread sheet with the current card numbers and pins and she handles the payment

 

[WannaSea]

If you have or are getting travel insurance, read the fine print in your insurance coverage as gift cards are usually not insurable, which was news to me. Some advice is to pay the actual cruise fare with cash and use gift cards for fees, HIA and other add-ons to stay fully insured.

 

I've used AARP gift cards several times with no problems, but some people have had issues with the AARP website purchasing process. I'm careful to track each purchase as it goes through, keep every email, and follow instructions for each card one by one. When I finally get a page with card number and pin, I print it out and save it. It's possible you might get a refund in the form of a credit back to the card in some circumstances. 

[crystalspin]

46 minutes ago, isosika said:

Has anyone tried this (paying monthly with cards)?

I have read about nightmares with getting cards in a timely manner through AARP.  Is this an ongoing issue?

Has anyone encountered roadblocks either through AARP or HAL?

Anything that I should be cautious of?

Reasons for NOT doing this?

We paid quite a bit of a B2B over NewYears ('22-'23). The "cards" arrived instantly, electronically. No roadblocks with AARP or HAL, but if you need to cancel, the refund will be to the card (good only on HAL). We were told by our Chase banker, that only the part of the cruise paid to the cruiseline would be covered by the Sapphire protection! Even if the cards are paid on the same card as you think you have "insurance", you should confirm.

 

Others read the CSR (Chase Sapphire Reserve) policy to cover everything if any part is charged to the credit card, I am not comfortable with the giftcards for the fare. We have a couple $100 "cards" to redeem on board for OBC, only. 

[markpark]

Yes.  Currently buying a $500 gift card monthly to pay for our cruise over New Years.  I have to call each time to make the payment.  They do not process on the online payment system.

[love_the_sea]

I keep reading about these AARP gift cards but when I searched the AARP web site I couldn't find where to buy them.  I am an AARP member and have OBC from them, but would like to buy a couple of these cards for onboard expenses. Can someone point me in the right direction. I am usually very good at finding things on websites! Thanks.

[SpokanChik]

25 minutes ago, love_the_sea said:

I keep reading about these AARP gift cards but when I searched the AARP web site I couldn't find where to buy them.  I am an AARP member and have OBC from them, but would like to buy a couple of these cards for onboard expenses. Can someone point me in the right direction. I am usually very good at finding things on websites! Thanks.

on the AARP website, click on AARP Rewards, then scroll down to All Rewards and search for Holland America.

 

Sorry for messing up twice.

Edited June 13 by SpokanChik
Corrected instructions

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

It works well I have had zero problems.

[sandiego1]

I have purchased over 120 of the gift cards (10/month in my name and DH). I used them to pay the majority of the cost for our next world cruise.

 

According to Steve (Trip Insurance Store), the insurance we purchased WOULD cover the cost of the gift cards if we need to cancel for a covered reason after the final cancellation date. If we cancel before then, HAL would credit the gift cards (ie not refund to cash or my credit card).

 

I received all gift cards via email within minutes after purchasing them.

 

My TA did make a mistake and accidentally applied one of our gift cards to another person’s HAL booking. We purchased another card to make the final payment and are waiting for a refund from HAL/TA. I am confident it will be resolved satisfactorily.

 

It is very important to keep detailed records of the gift card numbers and PINs, especially if you need to cancel.

 

I intend to purchase more before the cruise to use for onboard spending and HAL excursions if I decide to book any through them.

 

One caveat, you can not prepay gratuities with gift card, only a credit card. For the 2023 WC, I gave the gift card numbers to guest services when I boarded to pay for gratuities.

[POA1]

We've used the gift cards to pay for Have It All, shore excursions, and OBC. I use our American Express to pay for the fare because it has very good travel coverage.

 

The AARP cards have always arrived within 5 minutes. If you are worried, do a test purchase of a card to ensure it will work before you commit to paying everything.

 

Refunds of purchases made using gist cards go back to the gift card, so keep track of the gift card numbers and PINs. IMO, that's a small price to pay for the savings.

 

I've had to call HAL to get the GC payments processed. The awesome, flawless, and super user-friendly website can't seem to process them. (I'm about as tech savvy as it comes, so I am pretty confident that I'm not the problem.)

[Ray4Fun]

Question: Can I take a card and put it on our account prior to boarding as OBC?

 

We have already fully paid for the trip. Tours & Crew Appreciation. Use it for Spa and or drinks. Would like to use it so if we can add it now I think would be easiest. Yes? No? Thanks in advance. 

[Mary229]

3 hours ago, Ray4Fun said:

Question: Can I take a card and put it on our account prior to boarding as OBC?

 

We have already fully paid for the trip. Tours & Crew Appreciation. Use it for Spa and or drinks. Would like to use it so if we can add it now I think would be easiest. Yes? No? Thanks in advance. 

Yes, you can buy OBC with the gift cards on the website on the  manage your cruise page 

[luv2kroooz]

19 hours ago, sandiego1 said:

It is very important to keep detailed records of the gift card numbers and PINs, especially if you need to cancel.

This is the key and is critically important. If you have a claim, you'd have to prove you experienced an economic loss. Keep your purchase receipts so that you can easily provide proof when the claim is filed. Of course, it is also important to read and understand your policy.

[sandiego1]

4 minutes ago, luv2kroooz said:

This is the key and is critically important. If you have a claim, you'd have to prove you experienced an economic loss. Keep your purchase receipts so that you can easily provide proof when the claim is filed. Of course, it is also important to read and understand your policy.

That's a good point. Just because my insurance policy will cover a claim even though I used gift cards to purchase the cruise, doesn't mean all policies will cover it.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

I buy them every month.

[BermudaBound2014]

On 6/14/2024 at 1:44 AM, sandiego1 said:

According to Steve (Trip Insurance Store), the insurance we purchased WOULD cover the cost of the gift cards if we need to cancel for a covered reason after the final cancellation date. If we cancel before then, HAL would credit the gift cards (ie not refund to cash or my credit card).

 

 

The key word here is 'purchased".  Many travelers do not purchase trip insurance, and instead rely on the travel insurances provided by credit cards. In which case, gift cards may (or may not) be refunded in the case of cancellation. Based on my research, it's fuzzy at best. I would suggest anyone using gift cards read the fine print to understand exactly where/when gift cards are protected. I

 

The use of gift cards always comes with some level of risk. the most dangerous is obviously insolvency, in which case all gift cards would likely be wiped clean. The least could risk be the simple hassle working out refunds. I have never been a fan of the language in the T&C of gift cards which states that HAL gift cards can not be 'reloaded'. It's a gray area to me, and just because HAL has a history of refunding to the gift card, does not mean that policy is protected in the contract when you purchased.

 

I'm fairly risk tolerant, and I do use gift cards, but I would never buy them far in advance of a sailing. I just don't see any benefit in that case when there is a plethoria of work arounds to buy more than 5 gift cards a month. 

[pmjnh]

We do this all the time...sad that the savings has changed from 10% to 8% but it is still a savings. I just applied 5 of them yesterday to an upcoming sailing. Zero issues.

[sandiego1]

@BermudaBound2014 most credit cards have low limits for coverage and top out at 60-80 days. They wouldn’t cover a World Cruise or a high cost cruise. I believe only a few  cards cover trip cancellation or interruption. 

[Mary229]

1 hour ago, sandiego1 said:

@BermudaBound2014 most credit cards have low limits for coverage and top out at 60-80 days. They wouldn’t cover a World Cruise or a high cost cruise. I believe only a few  cards cover trip cancellation or interruption. 

Many insurance policies top out at 90 days no matter where you get them.  Be sure to seek advice on coverages for longer cruises. And all policies have upper payout limits.  Both Chase and Amex are comparable to a basic policy you would buy from the big travel insurance companies.  

[sandiego1]

52 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

Many insurance policies top out at 90 days no matter where you get them.  Be sure to seek advice on coverages for longer cruises. And all policies have upper payout limits.  Both Chase and Amex are comparable to a basic policy you would buy from the big travel insurance companies.  

Working with Steve at the Trip Insurance Store, I have been able to purchase policies that cover us for the >90 day World Cruises. And I’ve been able to purchase policies that are primary, not secondary, coverage with substantially higher payouts than Chase Sapphire Reserve and AMEX Platinum - especially for medical evacuation.

[Red Haired Lady]

4 minutes ago, sandiego1 said:

Working with Steve at the Trip Insurance Store, I have been able to purchase policies that cover us for the >90 day World Cruises. And I’ve been able to purchase policies that are primary, not secondary, coverage with substantially higher payouts than Chase Sapphire Reserve and AMEX Platinum - especially for medical evacuation.

Ellen,

 

I totally agree about Steve at the Trip Insurance Store. And he has the thread on the Cruise Critic  boards where I have learned a lot about insurance.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/2724-cruise-insurance-qa-w-steve-dasseos-of-tripinsurancestorecom-june-2024/

 

(Sorry to hijack this thread from a gift card topic to an insurance topic)

Edited June 15 by Red Haired Lady

[Mary229]

13 minutes ago, sandiego1 said:

Working with Steve at the Trip Insurance Store, I have been able to purchase policies that cover us for the >90 day World Cruises. And I’ve been able to purchase policies that are primary, not secondary, coverage with substantially higher payouts than Chase Sapphire Reserve and AMEX Platinum - especially for medical evacuation.

I would definitely recommend Steve.  

[BermudaBound2014]

Agree. Steve is the man to go to for any insurance questions. I also work with Deanne out of the office. Been working with them for a couple decades. They know their stuff.

 

6 hours ago, sandiego1 said:

 I believe only a few  cards cover trip cancellation or interruption. 

 

There are many Credit cards that cover trip cancellation and interruption. The only additional insurance I purchase is health. However; the devil is in the details. I spent a good bit of time researching this last year and shared my results with CC. Insurance is a very strange world indeed.

 

 

Edited June 15 by BermudaBound2014

[sandiego1]

19 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

There are many Credit cards that cover trip cancellation and interruption. The only additional insurance I purchase is health. However; the devil is in the details. I spent a good bit of time researching this last year and shared my results with CC. Insurance is a very strange world indeed.

 

 

Oops. Part of my comment is missing. Should have been:

 

I believe only a few cards cover trip cancellation or interruption unless you charge the entire trip cost to the card.

 

So if gift cards are used for part of the trip, the credit card wouldn’t cover you.

[Mary229]

20 minutes ago, sandiego1 said:

Oops. Part of my comment is missing. Should have been:

 

I believe only a few cards cover trip cancellation or interruption unless you charge the entire trip cost to the card.

 

So if gift cards are used for part of the trip, the credit card wouldn’t cover you.

That is not true for Chase.  I did my research, everyone should do their own research and make a comfortable decision.